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Critical illness cover is also known as critical illness insurance (CII), and is designed to protect against the financial impact of falling seriously ill.  These kinds of insurance policy were originally known as dread disease cover, a name which perhaps paints a picture of the kind of serious ailments that such policies are aimed at; like cancer, heart attacks, and kidney failure.

Critical illness cover policies start paying out after the diagnosis of one or more of the maladies specified in the policy, and can include over 30 conditions.  There are seven core conditions that all critical illness policies should cover, and these are: cancer, coronary artery bypass, heart attack, kidney failure, major organ transplant, multiple sclerosis and stroke.  Permanent disability caused by illness or injury will also trigger payment from CII.

However, as with most insurance policies, there are specifications and limits to the cover provided for the broad categories of illness listed above.  Cancers resulting from HIV – like Kaposi’s sarcoma, and lymphoma – are excluded from most policies.

Certain other types of cancer are also excluded, including non-invasive skin cancers, and early stage prostate cancer.  The reason for this is that advances in medical science and treatment have lessened the impact of these conditions, especially when they are caught and treated early – critical illness cover is designed to be activated by debilitating illness that inhibits normal living.

Critical illness is determined by medical specialists approved by the insurance company, who are consultants in a U.K. hospital.  Get an overview of the process by taking a look online at what providers like Legal & General stipulate as the conditions of invoking critical illness cover.

Critical illness cover is a complicated product, due in part to the complexities of the human body, and so as with all insurance policies the small print is crucial.  Every policy is different, so previous critical illness policies may cover conditions that are no longer covered in a new policy, and vice versa.  A little research at the outset can save a lot of hassle at a point when you really don’t need it; that is, in the unfortunate event of the onset of critical illness.